Method and system for providing information from a customer relationship management system

Abstract

A method for providing recommended information relating to an account from a customer relationship management (CRM) system is disclosed. The method embodiment includes receiving by a server a message from a user system associated with a user including a request for information relating to a target account representing a customer, competitor and/or partner of an enterprise, and information identifying the target account. Based on the information identifying the target account, accessible records associated with the enterprise and relating to the target person are identified, and public social media content relating to the target account is collected from social networking entities. A comprehensive account profile associated with the target account is generated based on the accessible records and on the social media content, and at least a portion of the profile is included in a response message that is transmitted by the server to the user system.

1 . A method for providing information relating to an account from a customer relation management system, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a server, a message from a user system associated with a requesting user, the message including a request for information relating to a target account and further including information identifying the target account, wherein the target account represents at least one of a customer, competitor and partner of an enterprise;   identifying, by the server, based on the information identifying the target account, a plurality of accessible records associated with the enterprise and relating to the target account, the plurality of records managed by a customer relation management (CRM) system;   collecting, by the server, public social media content relating to the target account from at least one social networking entity, the social media content comprising at least one of public social networking data and public social media objects;   generating, by the server, a comprehensive account profile associated with the target account based on the plurality of accessible records and the social media content; and   transmitting, by the server, a response message to the user system, the response message including at least a portion of the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein receiving the message from the user system comprises receiving the message over a network, wherein the network is at least one of a public and a private network, and wherein the CRM system includes a multi-tenant on-demand database system. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of accessible records associated with the enterprise includes at least one of contact records, account records, and correspondence records. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein social networking data includes at least one of information identifying at least one following entity following the target account and information identifying at least one entity followed by the target account, and wherein social media objects include at least one of messages, audio/video objects and image objects at least one of posted and received by the target account. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein generating the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account comprises:
 identifying at least one linked person to which the target account is linked based on at least one of the plurality of accessible records and the social media content, wherein the at least one linked person is affiliated with at least one of the enterprise and the account; and 
 generating a linked person list comprising information identifying the at least one linked person. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein generating the linked person list comprises calculating a relevance score for each of the at least one linked person based on a plurality of relevance factors, wherein the relevance score for a linked person indicates how relevant the linked person is to the target account, and ordering the at least one linked person on the linked person list by relevance score. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the plurality of relevance factors is related to at least one of a number of transactions involving the target account and a linked person, an amount of revenue generated by the linked person for the target account, a frequency with which the target account has interactions with a linked person, and at least one of a status and an attribute of the linked person. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the request for information relating to the target account includes a request for persons linked to the target account, and wherein the response message to the user system includes the linked person list. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further wherein generating the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account comprises:
 identifying at least one correspondence record representing at least one of an interaction between the target account and people affiliated with the enterprise and an interaction involving the target account, wherein the interaction is at least one of an electronic mail message, an instant text message, a voice message, a telephone call, and a video clip; and 
 generating a correspondence list comprising information identifying the at least one correspondence record. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein generating the correspondence list includes calculating a relevance score for the correspondence record based on a plurality of relevance factors, wherein the relevance score indicates how important the interaction is to the target account, and ordering the at least one correspondence record on the correspondence list by importance score. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the plurality of relevance factors is related to at least one of a temporal proximity of an interaction, a status of at least one of a sender and a recipient of an interaction, a subject matter of an interaction, and content of an interaction. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the request for information relating to the target account includes a request for correspondence related to the target account, and wherein the response message to the user system includes the correspondence list. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein generating the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account comprises:
 identifying at least one social media object of the target account relating to the enterprise, wherein the at least one social media object is at least one of posted by the target account, posted to the target account, and includes a reference to the target account; and 
 generating a social media list comprising information identifying the at least one social media object relating to the social media activity of the target account. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein generating the social media list comprises calculating a relevance score for each of the at least one social media objects based on a plurality of relevance factors, wherein the relevance score for a social media object indicates how relevant the social media object is to the target account, and ordering the at least one social media object on the social media list by relevance score. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the plurality of relevance factors is related to at least one of a temporal proximity of a posting of a social media object, a type of a social media object, content of a social media object, and reactions and comments relating to a social media object. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the request for information relating to the target account includes a request for social media objects relating to the target account, and wherein the response message to the user system includes the social media list. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising calculating an account importance score for the target account based on a plurality of enterprise factors, wherein the account importance score indicates how important the target account is to the enterprise. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the plurality of enterprise factors is related to at least one of a number of transactions that are pending or developing between the target account and the enterprise, at least one of a total and potential amount of revenue generated from or by the target account, and/or at least one of a status and an attribute of the target account. 
     
     
         19 . A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for providing information relating to an account from a customer relation management system, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
 receiving a message from a user system associated with a requesting user, the message including a request for information relating to a target account and further including information identifying the target account, wherein the target account represents at least one of a customer, competitor and partner of an enterprise;   identifying based on the information identifying the target account, a plurality of accessible records associated with the enterprise and relating to the target account, the plurality of records managed by a customer relation management (CRM) system;   collecting public social media content relating to the target account from at least one social networking entity, the social media content comprising at least one of public social networking data and public social media objects;   generating a comprehensive account profile associated with the target account based on the plurality of accessible records and the social media content; and   transmitting a response message to the user system, the response message including at least a portion of the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account.   
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for providing information relating to an account from a customer relation management system, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor; and   one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:   receiving a message from a user system associated with a requesting user, the message including a request for information relating to a target account and further including information identifying the target account, wherein the target account represents at least one of a customer, competitor and partner of an enterprise;   identifying based on the information identifying the target account, a plurality of accessible records associated with the enterprise and relating to the target account, the plurality of records managed by a customer relation management (CRM) system;   collecting public social media content relating to the target account from at least one social networking entity, the social media content comprising at least one of public social networking data and public social media objects;   generating a comprehensive account profile associated with the target account based on the plurality of accessible records and the social media content; and   transmitting a response message to the user system, the response message including at least a portion of the comprehensive account profile associated with the target account.